1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a treadmill, more particularly to a treadmill that has a locking device for locking a deck in a folded position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional treadmill 10 is shown to include a base member 11 and an elongated horizontal deck 12. The base member 11 includes a horizontal frame 110 with front and rear portions 111,112, a pair of upright posts 14,15 that are disposed and that extend upwardly from the front portion 111 of the horizontal frame 110, and a handgrip member 16 attached to upper ends of the upright posts 14,15. The horizontal deck 12 is laid over the base member 11, and has a front portion 121 connected pivotally to the front portion 111 of the horizontal frame 110 so that the deck 12 can be turned upwardly on the base member 11 to a folded position, and a rear portion 122 that abuts against the handgrip member 16 when the deck 12 is rotated to the folded position. A drawback of the aforesaid conventional treadmill resides in that, at the folded position, the deck 12 is only propped against the handgrip member 16. Thus, accidental collision to the deck 12 can result in falling of the same over the horizontal frame 12, thereby exposing a nearby person to the risk of injury.
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a treadmill with a locking device for locking a deck at a folded position in such a manner that the aforesaid drawback encountered during use of the conventional treadmill can be eliminated. Accordingly, the treadmill of the present invention includes a base member, an elongated horizontal deck, and a locking device. The base member includes a horizontal frame with front and rear portions, an upright frame that is disposed on and that extends upwardly from the front portion of the horizontal frame, and a handle member attached to an upper end of the upright frame. An elongated horizontal deck is laid over the horizontal frame of the base member, and has a front portion connected pivotally to the front portion of the horizontal frame so that the deck can be turned upwardly on the base member to a folded position, and a rear portion which abuts against the upright frame when the deck is rotated to the folded position. The locking device includes a front tube, a rear tube, and a spring-biased lock pin. The front tube has a front end connected pivotally to the rear portion of the horizontal frame in the base member, a rear end, and a front positioning hole formed therein. The rear tube has a rear end that is connected pivotally to the rear portion of the deck, a front end that is connected telescopically to the rear end of the front tube so that the deck can be folded on the upright frame of the base member, and a rear positioning hole formed therein such that rotation of the deck to the folded position causes the rear tube to move away from the front tube, thereby increasing total length of the front and rear tubes. The lock pin is disposed on one of the front and rear tubes, and is biased to extend through the front and rear positioning holes in the front and rear tubes when the deck is rotated to the folded position, thereby locking the deck at the folded position.